Livestock feeders are commonly used in ranching operations to supply hay bales and other forage to cattle when grazing becomes unavailable. As the need for such supplemental feeding varies with the season, feeders are continually being moved into and taken out of storage over the course of a year. Also, while in the field, a feeder may be needed in various locations, so the feeder must be moved from site to site. Consequently, the portability of a livestock feeder is an important quality.
It is also desirable to periodically feed cattle finer material such as mineral or grain feed that requires a feeding trough. Hay feeders that also function as feeding troughs thus eliminate the need for a separate trough. Other desirable features in livestock feeders include convenient loading and unloading of feed, allowing the livestock total access to all of the enclosed feed and elevating the feed above the unsanitary ground conditions.
In response to these various feeding demands, two main groups of livestock feeders have been developed: double frame and single frame designs. An example of a recent double frame feeder is U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,840 to Rumbaugh, which teaches the use of separate inner and outer frames. The inner frame is U-shaped and functions as the support structure for the round hay bale. The surrounding outer frame is rectangular and functions as the limiting interface between the cattle and the enclosed feed.
While the outer frame of this feeder retains hay that falls from the inner frame, it also prevents the cattle from reaching feed in the middle of the inner frame. It follows that only partial consumption of the enclosed feed is possible. Additionally, the use of two separate frames for the support and interface functions adds substantial weight to this feeder, making it more difficult and cumbersome to transport.
A similar double framework feeder having inner and outer frames is U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,040 to Martin. This feeder includes permanently mounted floor boards and small side walls that form a trough. Along with the separate inner and outer frames of this design, the fixed floor boards and side walls add even more weight to this feeder and also collect dirt and contaminants that must be continually removed and/or washed out. Further, the continuous outer framework provides no lateral access to the inner bale-supporting frame; thus, loading may be accomplished only by lifting and lowering the bale into the inner frame, thereby requiring special bale handling apparatus.
Prior art single frame feeders generally provide better cattle access to the enclosed feed. An example of a single frame feeder is U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,442 to Schilling. This patent discloses a collapsible frame feeder in which opposing sides of the feeder move toward each other as the enclosed hay is consumed. One of the main drawbacks to this design is that the hay bale sits directly on the ground and thus quickly becomes soiled with mud, manure, and other contaminants, thereby resulting in wastage.
Another single frame feeder design is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,300 to Spane. This patent discloses a U-shaped manger-like feeder that is permanently attached to an elevated structure at a feeding station. As this feeder must be suspended from a separate structure, it cannot be readily moved or used at remote locations. Additionally, this design is not capable of functioning as a trough.
Although the numerous designs of prior art feeders embody many desirable features, a need remains for a single frame feeder that both functions as a support structure for the feed and forms a direct interface between the cattle and the feed, and includes improved portability, trough feeding capability, lateral bale loading and complete access to all of the enclosed feed.